MITRE Reviews

Pros

Best and the brightest, that industry has to offer. The work is challenging, interesting, and significant. The compensation package is one of the best I have seen.

Cons

The low turnover and the caliber people they hire, promotions are slow. The pay is a little lower than in the private sector, but the compensation package makes up for it.

Advice to Senior Management

I would like to see management connecting groups that are working on similar problems for collaboration. Often MITRE staff discovers other MITRE groups doing similar work for sponsors within a community of interest. MITRE staff find out about other efforts either by accident or through professional relationships inside MITRE or inside the community of interest. A focused review of who is doing what and connecting the groups together to share information may help cut development.

Pros

The work at MITRE is interesting and challenging and your coworkers are some of the brightest people in their fields. Great benefits and a fantastic retirement program. Very competitive pay.

Cons

Employees working at sites don't always have access to some of the great benefits available when you work at the Bedford or McLean campuses. Through the course of your work you will often bump into very smart, very tactless engineers.

Advice to Senior Management

Overall I think MITRE is doing an excellent job, but there is room for improvement in the amount of money made available for training and education. I also disagree with the recent decision to only hire people with degrees, whereas in the past relevant work in your field was sufficient.

Pros

Great place to work with great opportunities for advancement as long as employee is outgoing and networks successfully to make themselves known

Cons

Can be 'old school' with certain management mentalities, but overall a fantastic place to work with tremendous opportunities for advancement

Advice to Senior Management

Can be 'old school' with certain management mentalities, but overall a fantastic place to work with tremendous opportunities for advancement

Pros

Quality Sr. Managers who truly believe in making MITRE a great place work.

Cons

A little too much effort is made to ensure work life balance. Some thought should also be given to how time off for one person affects others.

Advice to Senior Management

Continue on the path that has been made over the last 5 years.

Pros

This is a company that treats employees with respect and as adults. It's a great place to come late in a career to provide high level consulting services to the Federal Government.

Cons

It can be a little ivory tower. Sometimes you just want to get things done. They could have better people skills in management, but they try hard.

Advice to Senior Management

MITRE could use a broader range of talent - they should reach across into the marketing arena and get people who have real leadership skills to balance the techno-geek introverts they favor.

Pros

work diversity; educational benefits; research opportunities

Cons

operates off of an internal job market.

Pros

Good employee benefits and flexible work hours.

Cons

Should match aws for its employees to match government folks

Advice to Senior Management

Management reviews sould incorporate a 360 degree process.

Pros

It helps you get a higher education, focusing on the particular area you want to work on, whiting the organization.

Cons

It can get a little boring, its more of a research environment, although you are working for a client with specific needs.

Advice to Senior Management

I worked as an intern, I did not feel that I have sufficient experience within the company to say something.

Pros

Can amass good experience
Direct contact with government customers (what we call sponsors)
Opportunity to establish a professional network separate from management constraints
Some extremely smart people

Cons

Middle management is not capable and literally in over their heads
Rampant favoritism, cronyism, and protectist attitudes at the division management levels
Have "technical directors" who aren't technical, only bureaucratic
Absolutely no direction for gauging changes in sponsor programs and incorporating that information into support models
Management completely apathetic about task work-- "butts in seats" attitude
No value proposition coming from management for working hard except for your owns self respect\
Management is the most self serving of any company I've ever been, and this is a non-profit company

Advice to Senior Management

The officers better get it together and clean house. You have an entire generation of middle level bureaucrats who are alienating their best staff and favoring the yes-people and water carriers. The best of MITRE are being castigated and driven to the sidelines by a bunch of kool-aid drinkers. My suggestions: no permanent promotions to AC7. TDs and ATDs get a three year appointment, then back to the AC6 pool. No more PM time. Everybody gets some allocation of billable time and has to support a project. AC7s need to PROVE their competence. AC levels are not assignments of hierarchical authority. The people on top better start standing up and leading, not pretending to be philosophers with no real world experience.

Pros

MITRE really takes care of its employees. There are many interesting work opportunities and employees generally gravitate towards the type of work they enjoy. Their internal R&D program provides innovators an opportunities to turn ideas into solutions to hard problems. They provide a generous match in their 403(b) retirement program.

Cons

Salary-wise, they probably pay a bit less than one would get at a for-profit company, but this in my opinion is a wash when considering benefits and job quality.

Advice to Senior Management

If it isn't broke, don't fix it. Keep your focus on what has made MITRE a strong, innovative company. Resist the pressure to grow too fast. Emphasize quality over quantity of work force.